SOUTH 

HERO 


IN THE GARDEN SPOT 
OF VERMONT 













SOUTH HERO 

In the Garden Spot of Vermont 


BY 

Wilbur LeRoy Wood 

A 



PRINTED BY 

Rollinson & Hey, Providence, R. I. 
1923 


Rl 

.St> w? 


Copyright 1923 
by 

Wilbur LeRoy Wood 


©C1A756735 


AUG 11 1923 


"Vu-O f 


“MY ISLAND HOME” 
Poem by Rev. Orville G. Wheeler 


Like pearls on the bosom of Beauty pressed, 

Like lilies that float on the water’s breast, 
Gleams from the lake my lovely Home 
From its dimpled waves, my Island Home. 

Let others go to the gorgeous west, 

And others the land by the Bondsman dressed; 

0 let me never, 0 never roam 

While I may dwell in my Island Home. 

Let others fly from our crystal lake 
And tire of the music its billows make; 

Oh, let me gaze on their silver foam 

As they break on the shores of my Island Home. 

Let others go to the city proud, 

Inhaling the breath of its fainting crowd; 

Oh, let me breath the fragrant bloom, 

And bathe in the air of my Island Home. 

Let others go to the village bright. 

And gaily bask in its brilliant light; 

Oh, let me hie to the humble dome, 

Where the loved resort, of my Island Home. 

If any sigh for a sweet repose, 

A blest retreat from the great world’s woes; 

Oh, let them hither, Oh, hither come, 

And taste the joys of my Island Home. 


Mr. Wheeler was pastor of the Congregational Church 
of South Hero from 1840 to 1887. 


Acknowledgment to 

— Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company 
(for map of Champlain Valley) 

—Eastern Illustrating and Pub. Company 
and 

—R. A. Cruikshank 

(for some of the views of the island) 


SOUTH HERO 


CHAPTER I 

The poets and the travellers have told a true tale. 
Lake Champlain is beautiful. Mountain bordered, 
green-clad headlands, rocky cliffs, shelving beaches, 
sandy stretches, quiet little coves, it stretches for over 
a hundred miles between the states of Vermont and 
New York. From a height, Lake Champlain presents 
a beautiful picture to the beholder, while close at hand 
its beauties unfold in a manner that delights the eye 
of the lover of Nature. And the islands which dot the 
stretch of water between Burlington and Rouses Point, 
clothed with green, with crags and shelves of grey rock, 
add much to the picture which pleases. 

There are many islands in the lake, but three of 
them are of substantial size, supporting populations of 
fifteen hundred, four hundred and ninety-six, five hun¬ 
dred and ten people, respectively. These are the islands 
of South Hero with eighteen thousand six hundred acres, 
North Hero with over eight thousand acres, and Isle 
La Motte with four thousand and four hundred acres. 
It is a surprise to many people not familiar with the 
locality to learn that these islands have so many resi¬ 
dents within their borders. It is another surprise to 
learn that they are connected to the main-land and 
to each other by good roads, state roads in fact; while 
two of them are crossed by one of the rail road trunk 
lines running between Boston and Montreal—the Rut¬ 
land Railroad. 

The whole Champlain Valley is rich in historical lore. 
The fierce and powerful Iroquois Indians or “Five 
Nations” who roamed from the Hudson to the Genesee, 
called the lake—“Can-i-a-de-ri gua-run-te,” “the lake 
that is gate to the country,” meaning that it was the 


6 


SOUTH HERO 


gateway to the country inhabited by their great na¬ 
tional enemy, the Algonquins. 

It became a gateway during the colonial days and 
the days of the Revolution. It is a gateway today, 
although it is a channel of peace and friendship rather 
than a doorway through which burst enemies and ex¬ 
peditions. In the earlier days it was a contest to see 
who would control that gate, for the race or nation that 
did so was the one that held in their hands the destiny 
of the colonies of America. To how many historic ex¬ 
peditions has this gate swung open in the centuries 
since man has first travelled over the land of eastern 
Canada and New England? Following the enumeration 
of one historian, seven times during the centuries did 
enemies swing the gate northward or southward. “It 
opened wide to the Indian warriors who made forays 
into each others’ territories, traditional enemies seeking 
blood and plunder. It opened for the French explorer, 
Champlain, with his guns and sabres as he journeyed 
southward to aid the Hurons against the Iroquois. It 
opened to the French and their Indian allies as led by 
Marin they went southward to smite the English and 
Dutch settlers along the Hudson. It opened to the 
French and their Indian allies once more when, led by 
Montcalm, they attempted to wrest the gateway from 
England.” * * * “Lake Champlain ”— Crockett. 

Then Montgomery of New York pushed the gate 
the other way and captured the city or town of Mon¬ 
treal for the American colonies, but was killed as he 
stormed Quebec. Then came Burgoyne with his eight 
thousand men with the intention of occupying the state 
of New York and cutting off New England from the 
other colonies, “cutting off the head' of the rebellion” 
as they said. Burgoyne got as far as Saratoga when he 
was utterly defeated and he and his entire army taken 
prisoners. Those who held the gate were competent to 
guard it. 

Once more did an enemy march through this historic 
gateway when the British sought to make an invasion 
in 1814, but they were defeated. By water and by land 
was the attack made, but the water forces were so 




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Base for French expedition* 
Into the Valley and on the 
frontier, 1666*1690. 
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Bourlamaque, Aug. 1759. 
~JPjrberville Attacked by Col. Havl- 
land and abandoned 
*.Bj by French, Aug. 24, 

Q 1 760. 


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Pl/ATTSBURGs 
First permanent settlS^nent 
n/ar present Plattsburgh 
1 783. 

Settlement organized at 
Plattsburg, 1785 
Headquarters of Gen. B'lponYtteld, 
who collected 8000 men her 
by Sept. 1,1812, for an 
Invasion of Canada^^ -V ~^- 
Temporarlly occupied by 
under Col.Murray, July 31,1813. 

Again entered by General Prevost 
Sept. 6,1814 
Assault of 1 1.500 Brltisl . 
resisted by 4600 Amerfans under 
Gen. Macomb, Sept. 11,1814. 

Com. Macdonough won brilliant 
victory over British fleet in Plattsburg 
(Cumberland) Bay, kn&wn as Battle, " 
of Lake Champlain, ^epth^l 1,1 8i4 

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1 Irmian Name: Ca p*l*a^ fp' 
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.Pearl<\, | Gate of the Country) and Petou- 

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iTCrab l.( 

/ nQMen killed in Battlfi^.c. 1 ' 
' ®of Lake Ct|amp\ain|'^ 
> buried here,Sertt. 


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.''-•glutton. 


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American fleet 
(Com. Macdonough) 

fitted out here 1814. 


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Firs! fort, Ft.Carl(lon, built by 

French undor Lotbindsrc, 1 n255. 

Abercromblo repulsed with lo» 

Of 2000 men by Montculm, 

July 8, 1760. 

AbsndonoJ by Frenoh after \\)l 

Investment by Gen.Amhsrst j^ 

named Ft. Tioonderoga, rf«J.y n T 

July, 1 769. 

Captured by surprise by 
Ethan Allen, May 1 0, ^ 

Ev/cu’.t.d by G.n. St. cj/if ^Cty^pl,l„., | \ . I 

.nd oooupi.d by S Ft.Tlcond-T 1 l ; 

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( Baron C ioskou, 1 766. 

_ _ _ t . Amherst, 1769. 

Rebuilt ai ?Ft. Amherst, 17 00. 
Partly dci iblished by explosion, 

1 773. 

Captured U/y Seth Warner, 

May 1 1 , 1W76. 

Abnndonedjby Americans and 
occupled/by Durgoyne, 1 777. 


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SOUTH HERO 


7 


brilliantly withstood by a small American fleet under 
Commodore Macdonough that the invasion was a 
failure. 

Today, as Carpenter so well says in his “Summer 
Paradise in History”—“Today the gate which has 
swung both ways to the conquering armies of two 
and three nations, stands wide and unguarded, while 
through it the citizens of all three nations pass un¬ 
hindered. The war-routes are still used, but not for 
war or the passage of armed fleet.” Today commerce 
and travel use those same pathways along the railroad, 
the macadam road and the freight boat route. 

Lake Champlain is one of the largest bodies of fresh 
water in the United States. It is exceeded in size by 
the Great Lakes and a lake in Florida, Lake Okechobee. 
Lake Champlain is about one hundred and eighteen miles 
long, with its widest portion just north of Burlington. 
This place lies between the mouth of the Ausable River 
on the New York shore, and Mallets Bay on the 
Vermont side, an expanse of water over twelve miles 
in width. The average width of the lake is four miles. 
As to its depth, a hundred feet is not at all unusual. 
The greatest depth is off Essex, N. Y. where a depth of 
three hundred and ninety-nine feet is found. 

One can go by motor boat from New York City up 
the Hudson River and all the way to the St. Lawrence 
River by making use of the Champlain Canal which 
extends between Whitehall and Waterford, connecting 
the Hudson River to Lake Champlain. Any boat draw¬ 
ing more than four feet six inches cannot be taken 
through this canal. The outlet of the lake is the 
Richelieu River. At Chambly, Que., are rapids which 
are an obstacle to navigation, but a canal, the Chambly 
Canal has been built between Chambly and St. John, 
and the water route is open from the Gulf of St. Law¬ 
rence to Long Island Sound. 

But wonderful as is the scenery of the whole great 
lake; however full of interest historically and otherwise 
is the Champlain valley as a whole, the interest of this 
account is centered upon the islands above Burlington, 
two of which are off the main travel line of the historic 


8 


SOUTH HERO 


gateway, although the third island, and closely con¬ 
nected with them—Isle La Motte, witnessed nearly 
every passing expedition and received the most of them 
on its shores for a longer or shorter period. Our interest 
is with the “Heroes” and particularly with one of 
them—South Hero. 


CHAPTER II 

One of the first queries of the man who for the first 
time hears the name “South Hero” or “North Hero” 
is, “why such an unusual name?” And then the ques¬ 
tioner learns that these two names are connected with 
Vermont’s two heroes of the Revolution, Ethan Allen 
and his brother, Ira. As a reward for their services and 
that of their followers in the war with the mother 
country, a grateful government gave the land of these 
two Islands to the two Allens and their soldier followers. 
The soldiers were given grants of 64 acres and the names 
of some of those Revolutionary soldiers are to be found 
in the names of the families living on those islands to¬ 
day. 

We are told that several of the original grantees 
never came to possess their land,but sold it for whatever 
they could get. One grant of 64 acres, worth in 1870 
three thousand dollars and today worth much more 
was sold for three sheep. Some lots sold for prices 
ranging from fifty cents to two dollars an acre. There 
was a group of ten of these sixty-four acre grants: eight 
of them containing over five hundred acres were sold 
for four hundred dollars. The other two grants con¬ 
sisting of one hundred and twenty-eight acres were 
exchanged for a leopard. The writer of the incident, 
writing in 1870 says that in his day, one of these two 
grants thus exchanged was worth seven thousand dol¬ 
lars. (Heminway Gazetteer.) 

Because the islands were given to the two Allens and 
their followers, they became known as the town of 
“Two Heroes,” and the first town meeting was held 
in March, 1786. Two years later the north island 
formed a town by itself known as “North Hero,” and 


SOUTH HERO 


9 


the south island was known as “South Hero.” Later 
there was still another division in the south island. 
It was formed into two towns, the one on the north 
being called “Grand Isle,” while the southern town 
retained the name of “South Hero.” 

The island which contains these two towns is about 
twelve miles long and four miles wide at its broadest 
point. It is covered with thriving farms and fruitful 
orchards. There are many good roads linking together 
the various parts of the island. Around the shores one 
sees many camps, the summer residence of families 
from other states, who come here to spend a healthful, 
pleasant summer so that they may return to the work 
of the fall and winter, refreshed and invigorated. 



KEELER BAY 

In the days in which the Indians sailed the lake in 
their canoes and roamed over the islands, the only 
connection between the south island and the mainland 
was a narrow strip of sand which was exposed to the 
eye only when the water in the lake was low. This 
sand-bar was used by the deer to go to the sulphur 
springs which are to be found on the island, even today. 

The first settlers came by boat. There were two of 
them in 1783, Ebenezer Allen and Alexander Gordon. 
They both arrived at the island at the same time, we 







10 


SOUTH HERO 


are told. One sought a place to settle in the extreme 
south of the island, while the other went northward. 
The former arrived at his destination three hours before 
the other and claimed to be the first settler on the 
island. The house which he built is still standing and 
is occupied. The materials for the house and barn were 
brought to the island on a raft from Shelburne Point. 

Four years after his arrival Col. Ebenezer Allen en¬ 
larged his dwelling and opened it as a public house. It 
was for many years a favorite halting place for the 
travelling public passing over the lake, and a temporary 
abode for new settlers who came to “Two Heroes” or 
“South Hero” to locate farms. It is believed that it 
was at Col. Allen’s tavern that Prince Edward (after¬ 
ward Duke of Kent) with a numerous suite stopped over 
night in February 1793 on his tour from Canada to 
Massachusetts. 

As has been stated, other settlers followed Col. Allen 
and Alexander Gordon and in 1786 the first town 
meeting was held. One of these early settlers built a 
boat which he used to carry the grain of the pioneers 
down the lake to Whitehall, N. Y. where there was a 
mill for grinding. On his return voyages he often brought 
back furniture for the farm houses which were spring¬ 
ing up on the island. 

The island was heavily wooded in the early days. 
The first settlements were made on the borders of the 
lakes. There was very little progress made in settling 
the interior of the island. The principal means of com¬ 
munication was by canoe, while in the winter the frozen 
surface of the lake became a thoroughfare. Sometime 
during the first two or three years a road was cut from 
the house now known as “Center Homestead” (on the 
west shore) to Col. Allen’s house at the southern end 
of the island, a road which was wide enough to admit 
of the passage of a pair of oxen. 


SOUTH HERO 


11 



SAND BAR BRIDGE 


CHAPTER III 

The sand bar at first used by the deer, in time became 
a medium of communication between the mainland and 
the island, by the traveler on horseback or in a wagon. 
Those living on the island today recall hearing their 
parents or elderly friends tell of riding across the bar 
perched upon a board laid across the arms of the buggy 
seat, with their feet on the dash board. There came 
however, an agitation to make this bar more passable. 
Money was raised, shares were taken, the bar was 
built up, a culvert put in, boulders placed upon each 
side, and behold,the dwellers on the island had a road¬ 
way linking them with the town of Milton on the 
mainland. Later the state assumed the maintenance of 
the bridge. 

The first sandbar bridge and road cost $24,016.62 
including toll house, gate and fixtures. Many of the 
citizens of the town took part in the enterprise. Nearly 
two-thirds of the stock was taken by townspeople in 
amounts varying from one thousand to one hundred 
dollars. The shares cost ten dollars each. It might be 
interesting to note the rates for crossing this bridge: 
Single team 20 cents 

Double team 25 cents 



12 


SOUTH HERO 


Drawn by 4 horses 

Neat cattle 

Swine 

Sheep 

Footman 


38 cents 

10 cents per head 

4 cents per head 
2 cents per head 

5 cents per head 
Families hiring by year—$3.00 per year. 

No dividends were ever paid to stockholders. So 
much damage was done each spring by the ice and 
water that all the earnings were required to keep the 
bridge in tolerable repair. Hundreds of dollars were 
expended in-labor and money by the stockholders and 
citizens without fee or reward. 



SAND BAR BRIDGE 


In the winter months the lake is frozen and forms a 
roadway of its own and during that time the bridge is 
not necessary. But from May to November the dwellers 
in the island county have been able to ride over the 
bar easily and safely, although the road was too narrow 
for wagons or cars to pass each other save at designated 
points, which bear the signboard—“Turnout.” These 
signs are placed at short intervals along the road, and 
when one sees another vehicle approaching, he can 
safely pass that vehicle at the turnout which lies be¬ 
tween them. 






SOUTH HERO 


13 


With the coming of the summer of 1922 the dwellers 
on the island saw a better road connecting their county 
with the mainland. And it might be well to state that 
the citizens of the county are by no means the sole 
users of this bridge. It is used by autoists from all 
parts of the state who desire to reach New York state. 
And it is a thoroughfare for tourists from every state 
in the Union during the touring season. 

The summer of 1922 the work of raising and widening 
the bridge was commenced. It is being raised from 
three to five feet so that it will be above the reach of 
the water and the ice in the spring, thus giving con- 
tinous road service. There are a few weeks each spring 
in which the bridge has been impassable. It is covered 
by the high spring waters of the lake and then blocked 
with ice. With the raising of the road-bed, these con¬ 
ditions will be incidents of the past. The road is also 
to be widened so that there will be ample room for 
two cars to pass each other at any point along the 
roadway. 

This Sand Bar Bridge today forms part of the state 
road which starting from Burlington, passes through 
Colchester and Milton to the Island, then to North 
Hero across a wooden bridge, traversing the north is¬ 
land, crosses another bridge to South Alburg, a point 
of land which makes downward from the mainland into 
the lake. From thence one may travel to Montreal. 

The traveler from Burlington, planning a trip north¬ 
ward, passes through Winooski and through Sunder¬ 
land Hollow, once the dread of the motorist. Many the 
automobile that has been “stalled” and the engine 
heated trying to climb out of the Hollow. Today how¬ 
ever, the grade has been made more gradual,the abrupt 
curves widened, the sandy roadbed covered with crushed 
rock and rolled. So the “Hollow” is no longer dreaded. 
Continuing the journey from the “Hollow” the traveler 
crosses the Lamoille River in West Milton and enters 
on the first part of the road to the Island, some fifteen 
miles from Burlington, the Whittemore Road, built 
through the swamp which borders the lake at this point. 
It is a hard, level roadway, through the swamp, running 


14 


SOUTH HERO 


in a straight line for a mile and a half. Along this road¬ 
way, too, are placed the “Turnout” signs, designating 
the place where two vehicles may pass each other in 
safety. 



Arriving at the curve which marks the end of this 
mile and a half of straight piece of road, we find the 
swamp disappearing and ahead of us we see the lake 
itself across which runs a narrow strip of road with 
beautiful trees on the north side. This is the Sand Bar 
Bridge and it extends through the water a distance of a 
mile and a quarter. 

Westward beyond the narrow aisle, extending north 
and south, lies that beautiful home of the islanders, 
South Hero, or as it is called on some maps “Grand 
Isle” which as Mr. Wheeler remarked in his poem, 
seemed to him: 

“Like pearls on the bosom of Beauty pressed, 

Like lilies that float on the water’s breast.” 

Surely the region is well called the “Garden Spot of 
Vermont.” Surely the Eternal Architect of the Universe 




SOUTH HERO 


15 


wrought a masterpiece when He created this body of 
water and on its bosom laid the jewels which we call 
islands. 

After crossing the Sand Bar Bridge we find ourselves 
approaching the Sand Bar Inn owned and managed by 
Mr. George Phelps. This house was formerly the toll 
house for the bridge. From its verandas one looks 
across the lake to the elevations of Milton and Georgia 
which slope downward to the waves of the lake, a 
restful sight for eyes weary from the dust and the glare 
of city streets. Also one sees the marshes which promise 
a source of enjoyment and profit for the duck hunter 
when the days of the fall season shall arrive. Ask about 
fishing—there are boats at hand ready to take you to 
the haunts of the pickerel, the perch and the pike. 



THE SAND BAR INN 


As we continue on past the Sand Bar Inn, we come 
to the L. and L. Mott home where little children who 
have been deprived of home and parent love have found 
a welcome and tender care. Climbing the hill in easy 
stages, curving first to left, then to right, then repeating 
both turns once more, until we reach the high point 
and a marvelous picture unfolds itself to the eye. 

To the north and east lie revealed the expanse of 





16 


SOUTH HERO 


lake, with St. Albans in the distance, and Cedar and 
Fishbladder and Savage islands in the foreground. Be¬ 
hind and far below lies that line of trees which mark 
the road over which the traveller passed through the 
water. A little to the west of north lies Keeler Bay with 
a jewel of its own—Kellogg’s Island, clad with green 
cedars, the summer home of Judge Henry Kellogg of 
New York State. 

While to the right of the observer stand the peaks 
of the Green mountains, majestic Mansfield with the 
scar across ,i,ts slope, and in the distance, Camel’s 
Hump, with many lesser elevations in between. To the 
left of the observer the Adirondacks are seen with their 
lofty towering peaks either clothed with a green mantle 
or with that bluish purplish haze so familiar to those 
acquainted with mountain scenery. Truly these views 
give wonderful pictures of Vermont’s Garden Spot. 

But the road descends now, past the building which 
formerly was a little school house where many little 
feet have kicked the benches and have learned to tread 
the thorny pathway of knowledge, but now a dwelling 
house. From here on, the road runs in a straight line 
for a mile and a half, smooth, hard, a temptation to the 
motorist. One would think that he was travelling over 
a macadam road, it is so firm and hard. It is made by 
covering the surface of the roadway with the small 
rocks of the lake shore, “sjiore gravel” it is called. When 
first put on, it is rather difficult for travelling. Those 
small rocks grip the tire of the vehicle and reluctantly 
let go. A driver of a car is forced to slow down far 
more than he enjoys doing. However after being in 
use for three or more weeks it becomes pounded down, 
compact, a smooth, hard thoroughfare, pleasant for 
riders. If though, these roads are allowed to go too 
long without repair, wet weather makes them hard 
travelling. They become softened, wheels'sink in, and 
the Spring which comes with the roads in that condi¬ 
tion sees deep mud and ruts and disagreeable jouncing. 

About a mile from the top of the hill, the traveller 
reaches the “Corners.” On the left stands the South 
Hero Inn, which shows the mark of early building, as 


SOUTH HERO 


17 


well as modern improvements. The original building 
was of stone, limestone, quarried on the island, and 
was erected in 1829. Entering you find that it has all 
the modern conveniences, electric lights, steam heat, 
hot and cold water, a delightful place in which to stop. 
When one realizes that he is several miles from a city 
where there is running water and electric light plants, 
he begins to appreciate the comforts of these conveni¬ 
ences. The Inn is the property of Mrs. Solon Griswold 
and it is well managed by Mr. Ashley Hoag. 



SOUTH HERO INN 


The Inn is an old institution and has entertained 
many guests in its time. In the days before the railroad 
during the winter there was a stage route from Platts- 
burg, N. Y. to Burlington. From Plattsburg they drove 
across the lake on the ice, to the island, thence to the 
Inn which was reached in time for dinner; then onward 
to the south end of the island, again taking to the ice 
to Colchester Point and from there into Burlington 
over the road. 

From the “Corners” runs a road southward for three 
miles to the extreme southern end of the island where 
the first settler of South Hero built his house. This 
road is bordered by thrifty looking farms, with the 
buildings well taken care of, orchards whose fruit is 









18 


SOUTH HERO 


well known in the markets of the cities of New England 
and New York. Should these orchards be seen in the 
month of May with their pinkish white blossoms, one 
would be reminded of what he had heard about fairy¬ 
land. 

Northward from the “Corners” extends a road which 
meets Keeler Bay about a quarter of a mile distant. 
Here the visitors at the Inn find ample opportunity for 
boating and swimming. Westward, the road continues 
for half a mile until it meets the railroad track and there 
turns northward. 



STORE OF JUAN ROBINSON & CO. 

Across the road from the Inn is a grocery store and 
meat market. Here one may find many of his needs 
supplied, be it groceries, dry-goods, footwear, kitchen¬ 
ware or books. Here too, men congregate in the even¬ 
ing after chores, in the summer-time on the front porch, 
and in the winter-time around the great coal stove. Here 
is the great clearing-house of information. Here one 
learns that “so and so” is ill; that “so and so’s” farm 
has a new tenant; that a certain family is entertaining 
relatives from Boston; that a new camp is being built. 
Here the latest joke on some unfortunate victim is told 



SOUTH HERO 


19 


with relish and good nature; here the news of the day 
is discussed and arguments put forth as to what should 
be done at Montpelier or at Washington. It is a very 
human place, this gathering of the workers, and some 
who dislike work, who sit and talk and smoke, then as 
the evening hours pass by, one by one saying goodnight 
or slipping away silently until the storekeeper hints to 
those remaining that it is “closing up” time by putting 
out the lights. And then it is not unusual for some last 
sitter to remember that he was expected to bring home 
a loaf of bread or five pounds of sugar when he returned. 

Formerly there were many horses tied to the hitching 
rails and posts near the store. Today, while the horse 
is by no means absent, the front of the store sees many 
automobiles drawn up, Dodges, Reos, Buicks, Saxons 
and Fords, whose owners are inside buying or talking, 
probably both. While much of the work is done with 
the aid of horses, tractors are coming into use. Over 
the meat market is the harness shop where Mr. 
Croto can show you just what to do with your broken 
or worn-out harness. 

CHAPTER IV 

You have been to the Inn for supper, served in the 
cheerful dining room, and you are minded to take a 
walk. You see many people going westward, both 
walking and riding. It is the time for the evening train. 
The “Flier” from the south, bringing passengers from 
Rutland, Boston and New York, bringing the mail and 
shoppers who have been to Burlington all day, is due 
a little after seven o’clock. You take your walk toward 
the station, past the home of one of the proprietors of 
the store at the “Corners,” Mr. Orson D. Fifield; the 
home of the other partner, Mr. Juan Robinson who also 
insures your property against fire loss, stands just east 
of the “Corners.” Across the road is the winter home 
of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Reade. Mrs. Reade is the 
granddaughter of Commodore MacDonough who com¬ 
manded the American fleet at Plattsburg in 1814. 

We pass the Congregational Parsonage where the 


20 


SOUTH HERO 



CONGREGATIONAL PARSONAGE 

pastors have been well housed for the last twenty years, 
a home with eight rooms, sunny and cheerful. Opposite 
the Parsonage are the homes and shops of two of the 
town’s most necessary men, the blacksmiths, Mr. 
George Duba and Mr. Joseph LaRose. Next to the 
Parsonage is the Town Hall which until 1855 or there¬ 
abouts, was the place of worship for the Methodists 
and the Congregationalists of the town. 

Continuing westward we note on our right the home 
of one of the town’s successful farmers, Mr. Wallace 
Robinson, who also is proprietor of a store which 
handles paint and hardware stores, sleighs, wagons and 
farming machinery. This farm with its private electric 
light plant, its hot and cold water, its furnace, its re¬ 
frigerating plant, its well lighted barn with cement 
floor, its milking machine, shows how the modern farmer 
can utilize the best ideas for his own problems and make 
his work interesting and along scientific lines, instead 
of mere drudgery, not only in the field and barn, but 
in the kitchen for his wife. Mr. Robinson handles the 
coal business for his town and when one sees farm team 
after farm team going by, each with a ton or two ton 
of coal, you know that a car of coal has been dropped on 
the siding at the station and that each man is getting 
in his winter’s supply. 






SOUTH HERO 


21 



FARM OF WALLACE ROBINSON 


As you pass the Robinson farm there comes a sharp 
drop in the road, then past the beautiful elm tree on the 
left, across the “Greek” bridge where in the spring the 
hunter seeking pickerel may be seen eagerly watching 
the water beneath the bridge, then we see the South 
Hero railroad station close at hand on the left. 

The railroad crossing was the scene of a sad accident 
in November, 1916 when one of the town’s well known 
citizens, Mr. Wolfred Phelps was struck by a south¬ 
bound train as he was driving over the crossing, and 
he was instantly killed. It was not known whether Mr. 
Phelps failed to see or to hear the train, or whether he 
believed that he had time to cross in safety. His horse 
escaped, but the cutter was broken into pieces. 

Not only is the island connected with the mainland 
on the east by the state road, but on the south with the 
railroad. It is one of the three main lines between Bos¬ 
ton, New York and Montreal. One of these main lines 
runs from Boston through Concord and Manchester 
crossing Vermont between Wells River and Newport 
over the road of the Canadian Pacific. A second line 
enters Vermont at White River and passes through 
Montpelier Junction and St. Albans over the Central 
Vermont and the Grand Trunk Road. While a third 
travels from Boston to Bellows Falls, from thence to 
Rutland, Burlington, across two of the islands on Lake 







22 


SOUTH HERO 


Champlain—South Hero and North Hero, then to 
Alburg and Montreal. This is the Rutland Railroad. 

When the engineers came to lay the line from Col¬ 
chester Point to South Hero they were confronted by a 
stretch of water three miles in width. Yet today the 
railroad passenger rides over that water, comfortable, 
safely, and unless he should look out of the window, he 
would never know that deep water was on both sides 
of him. The engineers built a “fill” along the shallowest 
part of that stretch of water between the islands and 
the mainland and the resulting bridge forms a big bend. 



RUTLAND RAILROAD STATION AT SOUTH HERO 

Stones, huge blocks of marble and loads of gravel were 
placed in position along the route mapped out and a 
firm, staunch roadbed was built up carrying a single 
track. A draw bridge at the northerly end permits 
boats to enter that portion of the lake enclosed by the 
Fill and the mainland (Mallets Bay) and the Sand Bar 
Bridge. 

Facing the railroad track and standing on a little 
knoll, with beautiful shade trees about it, stands the 
old Allen Homestead, whose brick walls, doorstone and 
architecture reveal its early building. The bricks were 
made just across the road from the house. A little to 
the north is the grocery store owned and run by Mr. 
Robert Allen and his wife. Here, too, is the Post Office 







SOUTH HERO 


23 


of which Mr. Allen is the postmaster. Two mails a 
day come into the office, one thrown off the early 
morning express at 5:30 and one on the “Flier” at 
night. Two mails go out from the office, one at eleven 
in the morning and one at seven at night. 

The town enjoys an efficient rural mail delivery un¬ 
der the services of the carriers, Mr. Elmer E. Fletcher 
and Mr. Sidney Phelps. The daily routes of these two 
men average between twenty-three and twenty-five 
miles each. Some of the older inhabitants of the island 
tell of the mails of earlier days when it came once a 
week by a post rider, and later once a day. 



STORE OF R. H. ALLEN AND THE SOUTH HERO POST OFFICE 

Across the street from the Post Office is the coopera¬ 
tive Creamery, in which the cream of the farmers is 
made into high grade butter which finds a ready market. 
Not so very many years ago the farmers carried their 
own cream to the Creamery, but in these days of motor 
traffic, the Creamery sends out a truck which collects 
from the farms. 

To the south of the railroad station is another co¬ 
operative enterprise, the Canning Factory. Quiet for 
the greater part of the year, with the coming of Septem¬ 
ber much activity is seen; smoke pours from the smoke- 









24 


SOUTH HERO 


stacks, wagons loaded with green corn draw up to the 
entrance. For six weeks, more or less, the factory is 
busy, taking the corn, preparing it, canning it, cooking 
it and sealing it, packing it in cases. Twitched and 
Champlain Company whose trade name is on some of 
our best grade canned goods is the firm behind this 
enterprise and has a controlling interest, although 
shares are held by the farmers on the island. 

Travelling northward from the Post Office past the 
Iodine Springs House, Keeler Bay comes into view, 
which as the, .picture shows is a pleasant scene to the 
eye. 

Past the saw mill and the garage on the right, over 
the “flat” we climb “Piety” Hill, perhaps so called be¬ 
cause the view inclines one to think of God and Heaven, 
so beautiful it is. Continuing northward we pass the 
Roman Catholic Church on the left, with the store of 
Mr. Edson Robinson on the right, the fame of whose 
ice cream is known all over the island. Just ahead is 
another railroad crossing. Here, too, have been acci¬ 
dents which have resulted in fatalities, the horror of 
the last in which Edgar S. Fleury of Isle La Motte was 
killed (July, 1919) still lingers in the minds of the is¬ 
landers. 




KEELER BAY 










SOUTH HERO 


25 


On the left-hand side just before reaching the crossing 
is a brick house, the home of Stephen P. Wadsworth, 
who passed away at the age of eighty-nine in April, 
1923. This house was built about 1829. Formerly 
there was a stone house, used as a store, which stood 
between the brick house and the railroad track. When 
Keeler Bay had a post office of its own, the home of 
Mr. Wadsworth was the place of distribution. On the 
the shore of Keeler Bay, just across the railroad track 
lives the South Hero correspondent of the Grand Isle 
Star, Mrs. Ella Josslyn. 

At the railroad crossing the road divides and the 
tourist can take either of two very pleasant routes. 
One on the left, leads to the “West Shore” where the 
road follows the line of the island shore, in places run¬ 
ning close to the water’s edge. The traveller meets with 
many pleasant surprises of beauty in the glimpses of 
the lake, the views along the shore itself, with its 
precipitous walls, in places, with fragrant cedars grow¬ 
ing right to the edge of the rocky walls. At some points, 
in Grand Isle, the trees meet overhead forming an 
arched roadway. Plattsburg five miles away across the 
lake, and Cumberland Head and the Adirondacks come 
into view. Travelling over the South Hero town line 
into Grand Isle will bring us to the ferry wharf just 
above the Fruit and Nut Farm, from whence one can 
take the ferry to Cumberland Head and thus gain New 
York State in thirty minutes. It is about two miles 
across to the “Head.” 

If however, when arriving at the railroad crossing at 
Mr. Wadsworth’s former home we prefer to take the 
right-hand road, we cross the tracks and climb the high 
elevation which stretches ahead to the northward and 
are soon in the town of Grand Isle. From the highest 
point of this elevation another view of the mainland 
and the mountains on the east is obtained. And in this 
view, holding the center of the picture, ever calling 
back the eye when it is attracted by other details of the 
picture, stands Mt. Mansfield, in its solemn grandeur. 

Looking ahead toward the north one can see the road 
stretching out, a narrow line, down the hill, over the 


26 


SOUTH HERO 


flat and across the brook where one sees the ruins of an 
old-time beaver dam; then through the little grove of 
cedars, past the burial ground, past the nerve-center of 
the Grand Isle and South Hero telephone system, 
“Central,” past the Roman Catholic Church and we 
arrive at Grand Isle “Corners;” which is a center as is 
the Corners at South Hero. Here there is the grocery 
store successfully managed by Mr. Rome E. Minckler. 
A few rods westward is the Methodist Church and across 
the road from the church is the Grange Hall. 

The beauties of Grand Isle, the places of interest, its 
activities and organizations, though similar in some 
respects to those of the southern town, yet they form a 
story of their own. By reason of geographical situation 
the one island includes the two towns. Families of 
both towns have intermarried; the young men of one 
town find the young ladies of the other very attractive 
and do not mind in the least the drive of six, seven or 
eight miles each way in making their calls, yet the citi¬ 
zens of each town are very loyal to the town in which 
they reside. They work for the interest of, and boom 
their home town. This spirit is manifested in the 
activities of the two communities and is especially ap¬ 
parent in the friendly rivalry of the base-ball games. 

This account does not deal with the town of Grand 
Isle only so far as the life of the island as a whole is 
treated. What is said regarding the character of the 
farms and of the qualities of the men and women, applies 
to all who dwell on the island. The writer prizes his 
friendships with the citizens of both towns although 
he resided in South Hero. 

Leaving Grand Isle Corners and passing to the 
northern end of the island we cross a bridge to North 
Hero, which in the first days of the settlement of this 
region belonged to the same town as the southern island. 
In North Hero we find the County Seat of Grand Isle 
County. 

Here is the court house and the jail. On this island 
at the south-western end is a large Y. M. C. A. camp, 
known to all the boys of this vicinity and state, “Camp 


SOUTH HERO 


27 


Abnaki” presided over by the energetic and genial 
“Y” secretary Mr. Byron Clark. 

Passing through North Hero the tourist comes to 
another bridge which lands him in South Alburg, a 
point of land which makes down into the lake from the 
Canadian border although the point belongs to Vermont. 
If the traveler instead of going to Montreal desires to 
reach New York State from this point, he can cross 
from South Alburg over a toll bridge (the last in the 
county) to Isle La Motte, another large island, although 
smaller than either North or South Hero, supporting 
many farms and orchards and from which one can take 
a ferry to Chazy Landing, New York State. It was on 
Isle La Motte that Theodore Roosevelt received the 
news of the assassination of President McKinley. They 
show the desk in the home of former Lieut. Gov. W. N. 
Fisk, where Mr. Roosevelt was sitting. 

As stated earlier, this island was in the pathway of 
nearly all of the historic expeditions which made use of 
the Gate of the Country. The strategic and most fre¬ 
quently occupied spot was Sandy Point at the north 
east corner. Here was located the Ft. St. Anne in 1666, 
built by the French. Here in the same year the Jesuit 
fathers erected a shrine to St. Anne and celebrated 
mass, the seat of the first organized Christian effort 



SOUTH HERO CORNERS, LOOKING EAST 






28 


SOUTH HERO 


in this valley. The shrine is still maintained today and 
cures are reported to have been performed upon men 
and women with a firm faith. 

CHAPTER V 

An influence in the life of the people of South Hero 
that should not be under estimated, is that of the 
Church. Both the Roman Catholic Communion and 
Protestant Communion have pastors here. The Roman 
Catholic pastor, supplies both South Hero and Grand 
Isle with North Hero as well, a large parish to cover. 
For the most part, his parishoners are the French 
Canadians who compose over one-third of the popula¬ 
tion of the islands. 



CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH 

Until recently, the two Protestant churches, the 
Methodist and Congregational, worked under an agree¬ 
ment whereby a Congregational clergyman lived in 
South Hero and a Methodist clergyman lived in Grand 
Isle. Each man preached in South Hero on alternate 
Sunday mornings. The other Sunday he preached in 
Grand Isle % When preaching in the town not his resid¬ 
ence, the minister traveled thirteen miles, six and a half 
each way, meeting his religious co-worker half way from 
his own home. The people in both communions met 
in each town and worshipped together, led by the 







SOUTH HERO 


29 


minister whose turn it was to be in that town. When 
the Methodist minister occupied the pulpit, it was 
“Methodist” Sunday; and when the Congregational 
man preached, it was “Congregational” Sunday. The 
same choir served both Sundays but on one Sunday it 
would have a Methodist leader and organist, and a Con¬ 
gregational leader and organist the following Sunday. 
This arrangement which was in force for many years, 
was terminated in 1919. 

Both churches have been at work since the early 
days of settlement. It was in 1795 when the Congrega¬ 
tional Church was organized with seven members. The 
first pastor was Rev. Asa Lyon, and he served for forty- 
five years. His successor, Rev. Orville G. Wheeler was 
pastor until his death fifty-two years later, although he 
served actively forty-seven years. For nearly ninety- 
two years the church had the services of but two pastors. 
Both men were interested not only in their churches, 
but in the town and state as well. Mr. Lyons repre¬ 
sented the town in the state legislature several terms 
and also represented the state in Congress. Mr. Wheeler 
represented his town in the House and his county in 
the Senate at Montpelier for several years. He was 
also instrumental in the making of the Sand-bar Bridge. 



INTERIOR OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH 
































30 


SOUTH HERO 


To him, as well, the town is indebted for the beautiful 
shade trees which line South Street. 

The present Congregational Church was erected in 
1854. Before this time the services were held in the 
building now used as the Town Hall. 

The first Methodist minister was sent as a missionary 
from the Troy, N. Y. Conference. Word came to the 
Conference that the inhabitants of these islands were 
in a most uncivilized condition. The Rev. W. M. Anson, 
sent by the Conference arrived at Milton one afternoon 
in the summer of 1792, near where the Sand-bar Bridge 
now stands. The only way he saw of getting across 
the lake was by a raft. Twice, we are told, the wind 
drove him back to the Milton shore, but the third trial 
permitted him to cross. It is related that when he 
reached the island he inquired if there was a hotel and 
was informed that there was an inn about two miles 
distant, but the accommodations were not very good 
as they were out of rum. Mr. Anson found the hotel 
and did not worry about the absence of the rum. From 
that date the island has had the service of a Methodist 
minister. 

Both the Methodists and Congregationalists wor¬ 
shipped in the same building in South Hero and Grand 
Isle. In South Hero they met in the building now used 
as the Town Hall, as stated before, until in 1854 the 
Congregationalists erected a brick structure on South 
Street, and three years later the Methodists put up a 
substantial wooden building several rods to the south 
of the Congregational Church. The congregations of 
both churches met in the building of the society whose 
turn it was to hold the service. In the winter of 1919- 
1920 the Methodist society decided to discontinue ser¬ 
vices in the South Hero Church and offered their build¬ 
ing to the town for a school building, which offer was 
accepted. 

Those who worship in the present Congregational 
edifice find it hard to imagine the appearance of the 
interior of the early house of worship. There were pews, 
of course, but different from those seen in the present 
church. They were almost sections. In case there were 


SOUTH HERO 


31 


a number of members in the family, the seat or shelf 
extended on three sides of the section or enclosure. 
On the front seat of the enclosure the younger members 
of the family would sit with their backs to the pulpit 
which was, or was not, a desirable location depending 
upon the method the child used in making the long 
service of those days endurable. 

The preacher stood in a little pulpit high up in front 
of the people, which he reached by a flight of stairs. 
From here he preached a sermon in the morning, and 
after an intermission for lunch at noon, another ser¬ 
mon in the afternoon. And they were good lengthy 
sermons too. They had their firstly and secondly and 
thirdly and not infrequently eighteenthly and nine- 
teenthly. 

To aid in the singing of the hymns there was a small 
melodeon which was taken home at the close of the 
service. There was also a bass, either the violoncello 
or the double bass. 

Attendants at church in the cities or suburbs con¬ 
sider that a distance of a mile between themselves and 
the church calls for a big effort on their part. But the 
people on the island come to church from two and three 
miles distance, sometimes walking, although usually 
driving either a horse or a machine. And the Church 
means much in the life of these people. It is an insti¬ 
tution to which their fathers contributed money and 
time and personal effort, as a matter of course. It was 
as much a civic duty as the schools. Their children are 
following in the steps of the fathers. 

On the West Shore in Grand Isle is a little Episcopal 
chapel, rustic in design, in which there are services 
during two months of the summer. The officiating 
clergyman, Dr. John B. Hopkins, comes from Chicago. 
His summer home is across the street from the chapel. 

The dwellers of the Island have another asset in the 
physicians upon whom they call when accident or sick¬ 
ness overtakes them. The doctor’s life is a hard one. 
In the summer he can roll along quickly and easily in 
his automobile; but when the roads are filled with snow 
and he has to take to horse and cutter, or when it is 


32 


SOUTH HERO 



SOUTH HERO CORNERS, LOOKING TOWARD THE LAKE 


neither snow nor bare ground, but a combination of 
both and he has to drive a wagon, it is tedious, slow 
and cold work. He may be called to North Hero, a 
fifteen mile drive up and fifteen miles back, and re¬ 
turning find a call to the end of the south island or 
even to the mainland in Milton. It may be one o’clock 
in the morning; he may be tired, cold, but it is the call 
of duty, and he goes. Called upon to make decisions 
with no opportunity for consultation as has his city- 
brethren in emergencies, he over and over again faces 
responsibilities which demand clear thinking, quick 
decision, steady hands and unflinching courage. 

The life may be hard at times, but the friendships 
these men make are among the compensations. In the 
homes in which they minister, they are respected and 
loved. The names of the three men whose skill has 
brought comfort, ease from pain and life to many homes 
of this generation are Dr. Branch, Dr. Caron and Dr. 
Styles. A fourth name comes to the minds of the older 
people, one who passed away several years ago even 
as he was treating one of his cases—Dr. Petty. 

In addition to the church organizations there are 
fraternal organizations which enroll many members of 
both towns on the island. These include the Modern 






SOUTH HERO 


33 


Woodmen of America, the Masonic Lodge, the Eastern 
Star, the Daughters of the American Revolution and 
the Daughters of 1812. 

The Woodmen formerly met in their own hall just 
west of the blacksmith shop of Mr. Joseph LaRose. 
The hall was destroyed by fire in 1916, a loss to the 
town as well as to the organization as the hall and 
banquet room were available for rental for the various 
activities of the town. 

The Isle of Patmos Lodge No. 17, Free and Accepted 
Masons celebrated its centennial anniversary in the fall 
of 1921. Its place of meeting is at the Masonic Building, 
a stone building on the north road, about a mile from 
the Post Office. To attend its meetings, members drive 
from the southernmost point of the island and also 
from the extreme northern portion. For the latter it 
means a drive of over seven miles each way, something 
to think about when the thermometer is around the 
zero mark. The Lodge enrolls over one hundred mem¬ 
bers. 

The Order of the Eastern Star is another thriving 
organization which brings much into the lives of the 
men and women who meet monthly at the Masonic 
Building. 

The Daughters of the American Revolution and the 
Daughters of 1812 are more recent organizations. The 
first was formed in 1917 and today carries on its rolls 
45 members. It was not difficult for the descendents 
of the soldier companions of Ethan Allen to find the 
line of eligibility to this order which aims to keep bright¬ 
ly burning the fires of patriotism. 

The Daughters of 1812 were organized in 1920. The 
Ex-State President of the organization, Mrs. Lucy 
Macdonough Reade, the granddaughter of Commodore 
Macdonough, is a member of the local chapter. 

Until the fall of 1920 the boys and girls of South 
Hero attended the schools of their own particular dis¬ 
trict. Upon reaching the seventh grade, they entered 
the Grammar School. This school was held in the 
room over the Town Hall. There were four district 


34 SOUTHHERO 

schools which were situated in the cardinal points of 
the town. 

Perhaps these district school houses were not in ap¬ 
pearance or color “little red schoolhouses” save in one 
instance but the lessons taught in those buildings have 
become a part of the men who today so worthily call 
themselves citizens of South Hero. The district school 
with all its faults and all its lacks has helped many a 
strong man to find himself and to be an honor to his 
town and state. That is the proud record of the “little 
red schoolhouses” of Vermont. 

In the fall of 1920 the district schools were discon¬ 
tinued. Accepting the offer of the Methodist Society, 
the former Methodist church was remodelled into a 
central school house; the children of the town were 
brought to school in the morning by barge and returned 
home in the same manner after the afternoon session. 

A committee consisting of three members, each mem¬ 
ber serving three years, one of whom is elected at the 
Annual Town Meeting each March, have charge of the 
school affairs of the town. A county superintendent, 
Mr. Fred E. Cargill, supervises the courses of study 
and the details of the teaching. 

Sometimes the dweller of the city with several mov¬ 
ing picture theatres or musical comedy or vaudeville 
from which to choose an evening’s entertainment; with 
restaurants and hotels and bright light and music to 
make the night gay, wonders how the dweller in the 
country gets any fun. One who has lived in both 
places will understand what I mean when I say that 
I believe that the country community has a better time 
than the city. For the man in the city has merely to 
go, pay his money and is amused or bored according 
to how the evening’s entertainment strikes his fancy. 
But living in a community where there are no restaurants 
and big hotels with their brilliant functions; where there 
are no theatres, it is necessary to make their own good 
time, and that is usually far more enjoyable than when 
it is served to one ready made. 

There are parties, there are entertainments, there 
are suppers. There are dances. The various organiza- 


SOUTH HERO 


35 



RUTLAND “FLIER” ON THE “FILL” 

tions have many social gatherings which offer pleasure 
to all. Then Burlington is but half an hour’s ride away 
on the easy riding train of the Rutland Railroad, where 
one arrives in time for a good dinner at the “Vermont” 
or the “New Sherwood,” with time for shopping and 
attendance at the “movies” if one desires. In the winter 
when the ice is safe for travelling, St. Albans is but a 
few miles away across a hard level road, over which 
the cutter slips very easily. Plattsburg is even nearer 
from the west shore of the island. 

There is no need for artificial ponds for skating— 
Nature has provided one big enough for all who care 
to enjoy that sport. In the summer the same lake 
affords a big swimming pool, with many private sec¬ 
tions formed by the bays of the coast of the island. 
There is little excuse for anyone not learning to swim. 

In the summer with so many people owning automo¬ 
biles, it is a short run to Burlington, little more than 
an hour. If one does not own an auto and desires to 
go earlier than the railroad train there is the auto-bus 
which takes one to the city and return for a very 
reasonable fee. 

The dwellers on the island need not lack for good 
times. He can have a change and visit the city if he 




36 


SOUTH HERO 


so desires, but he is not dependent upon that, he can 
find pleasure in his own community. Summer or winter, 
it makes no difference, with work and with fun, the 
life is full; there need be no dull moments. 

One of the events of the winter is the church Oyster 
Supper. In earlier years both South Hero and Grand 
Isle had these happy occasions, but of late years they 
have been discontinued in South Hero. It is not merely 
a supper, it is a banquet. It is called an “oyster supper” 
and there are oysters aplenty. The diner can have them 
in any way he prefers, on the shell, fried, or in a stew. 
And what is unusual to the uninitiated is, that he can 
have the stew “with” or “without” milk. One who 
has never heard of oyster stew without milk tries a 
stew of that kind with many misgivings, and is aston¬ 
ished to find how delicious it is. Following the oyster 
course come the cold meats and the salads, the pies and 
the puddings. Considering the modest price charged, 
one goes away feeling that it has certainly been a 
worth-while occasion. 

In earlier years an oyster supper was held in one 
town, and then in about three weeks in the other town. 
One year the profits were given in South Hero to the 
Congregational minister; the next year the Grand Isle 
profits were given to the Congregational minister of 
the island. The Methodist pastor received the profits 
in the alternating years from each town. This was one 
way in which the minister’s salary was paid. The 
profits of each gathering was usually between two hun¬ 
dred and three hundred dollars which was handed the 
next day to the pastor for whom the gathering was made. 

Another event of social good time and good food is 
the “sugar” supper which is held when the maple syrup 
is running and just before the winter’s snow has dis¬ 
appeared. At these suppers, each diner is furnished with 
a saucer of snow upon which he pours some of the hot 
maple syrup. When it “waxes” it is ready to eat. It 
cannot be told to the uninitiated just how it tastes. 
One must try it to know the pleasure. In addition to 
the sugar there are the usual good things which are to 
be found at the church suppers in this locality. 


SOUTH HERO 


37 



KELLOGG’S ISLAND 


CHAPTER VI 

The main business of the island is farming, dairying 
and fruit growing. The land is very fertile; it is worked 
by intelligent methods and good crops result if the 
necessary rain and sunshine are in the right proportion. 
Oats, corn, barley, buckwheat and beans form the usual 
crops, as well as potatoes and other vegetables. Last 
year (1922) the Canning Association called for four 
hundred acres to be given over to corn for the fall 
canning. 

Beans are a comparatively new crop. The War in 
Europe with the consequent rise in price gave an impetus 
to the raising of this crop. Many farms had at least 
ten acres allotted to beans. While the present price 
does not hold as high as during the War, there is de¬ 
mand enough to make it a profitable crop. A bean 
elevator has been erected south of the Canning Factory 
where machinery has been installed for cleaning and 
grading the beans. In a surprisingly short time a hun¬ 
dred bushels of beans can be weighed, screened to re¬ 
move dirt and stones, raised to bins in the top of the 
building from which they drop to the moving belts of 
the picking machine, where all the poor beans are picked 
out by expert pickers, and finally dropped through a 
chute into bags ready for shipment. Those who have 






38 


SOUTH HERO 


spent the weeks of the winter performing the monoto¬ 
nous work of handpicking on the kitchen table appre¬ 
ciate the ease and smoothness with which the various 
operations are carried on in the bean elevator. During 
the past winter ten picking machines were in use. Six 
more machines will be installed for the coming winter. 
This work as well as the handling of the product is 
ably conducted under the management of Mr. 0. D. 
Fifield, one of the partners of the firm of Juan Robinson 
and Go. Mr. Fifield was elected representative to the 
state legislature in the fall of 1922. 

Every farm raises the oats which it needs for its 
stock and one of the expected events of the year is the 
coming of the “threshers,” who drive into the farmyard, 
set up their gasoline driven machinery, toss in the 
oatstraw at one side of the machine and bag the 
threshed oats on the other side. At meal time all the 
workers eat at the table of the farmer, whose wife is 
apt to be a busy woman on these occasions. The 
threshers also visit the farms when the beans are har¬ 
vested. After threshing out the crop of one farmer they 
go on to the next farm. 

Many of the farms are worked “on shares.” The 
owner makes an agreement with some man to supply 
so much stock and so many implements, so much seed; 
he on his part supplying a certain amount, and the 
proceeds are divided between them on a determined 
basis. The man working “on shares” may live with 
his family in the same house with the owner of the 
farm, occupying a different part of the house, or he 
may live in what is called the “tenant” house, which 
is built on the property of the owner. In such cases 
there is no rent to pay and often the wood supply for 
the year goes with the house. The householders on the 
island burn a great deal of wood. If the owner runs 
his own farm, his chief helper often lives in the tenant 
house. Agreements usually are made from April 1st to 
April 1st and at that time of the year many wagon 
loads of furniture are seen in transit as the tenants or 
shareworkers are changing their location, choosing to 
work on different farms than those of the previous year. 


SOUTH HERO 


39 



KIBBIE POINT 

In the winter, much of the farm work is at a standstill. 
There are, of course, the chores, which take no little 
time. Then there is the getting up of the woodpile. Much 
wood is used both for heating and cooking and many 
farms have their own woodlot. Winter is the time for 
thinning out these lots. The wood is hauled to the house 
when the ground is covered with snow. 

The lake is covered with ice from the latter part of 
December to the middle of April, save in places where 
the current is so swift as to prevent freezing. In 
December when the days are cool and just before the 
water is frozen over, the air is often full of white vapor, 
the result of the chilling of the moisture in the air. It 
is called “frost in the air.” With the freezing of the 
lake, this disappears. With the coming of firm ice, 
certain parts of the lake become thoroughfares. It is 
level and hard and the horses seem to enjoy the new 
kind of a road. There is one danger in this thoroughfare, 
and that is with the cracks which sometime extend from 
points of land, across the lake to the mainland. 
The surge of the water beneath the ice, the expanding 
and contracting of the ice itself with the alternating 
temperatures find the weak lines in the ice. The sur¬ 
face of the ice bulges up, rising to a height of two or 
three feet. These ridges will extend from points on one 






40 


SOUTH HERO 


island to points on another island or to the mainland. 
One experienced with the locality and driving can 
usually surmount these hurdles with entire safety, but 
sometimes they break through and horse and cutter and 
occupants, if they are not alert, are plunged into the 
icy water beneath. 

Throughout the winter there is much ice fishing 
carried on. Men build small huts of a five by five or 
five by six dimension and take them out on the lake, 
cut holes in the ice to correspond to holes in the floor 
of the hut, and then make that their residence so long 
as the ice is safe. They have a stove and bunk inside 
and pass the winter comfortably and profitably although 
in rather close quarters. 

Along about the latter part of March, some seasons 
a little earlier, the ice becomes unsafe. It begins to have 
a bluish appearance which deepens in color from day 
to day. Then some time during the following two or 
three weeks, you wake up some morning and the ice 
has disappeared. Where? No one seems to know. The 
lake is open, Spring has come. The presence of the 
ice in the lake holds back the planting season nearly 
two weeks, as until it has gone there is a dampness and 
chilliness in the atmosphere that is very penetrating as 
well as being a factor against the germination of seeds. 

However when the days of June come, the Island is 
abloom with green things and blossoms which foretell 
the harvest of the season. They also give proof of this 
region being a garden-spot. This is the island that greets 
the summer camper. With the closing of school the 
families from the outside begin to come, and until 
school reopens in the fall, the shores of the island are 
peopled with these dwellers from outside the state. 
They come from the West; they come from the East. 
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago send their 
citizens to live among the cedars, to fish and to swim 
in the lake; to get fresh “air and sunshine and blue 
sky, the feeling of breeze upon the face, the feeling of 
turf beneath the feet, the view of the far-off mountain 
tops.”* And here they get these things. 


* Longfellow—“The Spanish Student” 



SOUTH HERO 


41 



SHORE AT EAGLE CAMP 


Beside the private camps whose owners and families 
come summer after summer—they are summer residents 
of the island; there are the big camps where men and 
women tired from the exactions of a busy life, come to 
stay a week, two weeks or a month. Such as Eagle 
Camp presided over by the Rev. George Perry. So 
enjoyable and popular is this camp that if you desire a 
reservation for July, you must write for it before March, 
and it is better to make a reservation the preceding 
fall, or even the preceding summer. It is a well managed 
camp on a delightful site, where one meets with cul¬ 
tured men and women. It is an interesting sight when 
the mail carrier drives up to this camp. Someone 
strikes the big iron triangle which hangs on a nearby 
tree and from all directions the members of this camp 
come hurrying to the mail car. A big bundle of mail 
is handed to Mr. Perry who calls out the names and 
hands over the letter or package reminding one of a 
Christmas tree and the distribution of the presents. 
While the mail is being delivered the carrier is busy 
weighing parcel post packages, selling stamps, etc. 
Across the road from the camp is an attractive little 
grove with a rustic pulpit where religious worship is 
held on each Sunday. Mr. Perry is an interesting 
speaker and he often has ministers and lecturers and 






42 


SOUTH HERO 


instructors in his camp who can be prevailed upon to 
speak at these services. 

There are other camps on the Islaild, although they 
have not been established as long as has Eagle Camp. 
There is the Y. W. C. A. Camp—Camp Hochelaga on 
the east shore of Grand Isle, and the camp on Kibbie 
Point looking out on Keeler Bay, presided over by Mr. 
and Mrs. Bert Irish, where your wants receive careful 
attention and excellent service. There are other ex¬ 
cellent camps and hotels in Grand Isle which receive 
their regular guests year after year. Such hotels as 
“Vantines” presided over by the Vantine Brothers; 
“Island Villa” of which Mrs. F. A. Briggs is the pro¬ 
prietor; and Camp Vermont managed by Mr. E. N. 
Gerrish. These are names familiar to many tourists 
and vacationers. 

These are some of the places in which vacationers 
find that the yearning of their natures for the great 
out-of-doors receives satisfaction. 

The town of South Hero has two good garages. One 
is managed by Mr. Arthur Allen and is not far from 
the “Corners” just a few rods south of the South Hero 
Inn. The other is on the Grand Isle road about a half 
mile north of the railroad station. It is managed by 
Mr. Charles Josslyn, Town Representative to the state 
legislature during the years 1921-1922. In both garages 
the anxious man with the crippled automobile will find 
mechanics who can relieve him of his anxiety. 

A service of interest to those who live in South Hero 
is the express service maintained between South Hero 
and Burlington under the management of Mr. Henry 
Croto. It is very convenient to send for a package by 
Mr. Croto and have it delivered in the afternoon of 
the same day. 

In March of each year, the citizens of the town 
gather at the Town Hall and elect the officers who will 
serve them and whom they can criticize when affairs 
do not proceed satisfactorily. It is the day known to 
the dwellers of towns all over the country, the day of 
authority for the ordinary citizen; the day when he 
can exercise his inalienable right as an American citi- 






























44 


SOUTH HERO 


zen. It is the institution upon which the government 
of this country was built. It is the institution upon 
which many a proud city which today is controlled by 
aldermen and councilmen or commission or city mana¬ 
ger, had its early foundations. It is the Town Meeting 
Day. And as in many other towns, so too, in South 
Hero, the citizens meet each March, many driving three 
and four miles through muddy and “rutty” roads, to 
elect their officers for the ensuing year. The officers 
which represent the town this year are: 

Moderator —Wallace Robinson 
Town Clerk —Mrs. Emeroy Conro 
Selectmen —Henry Phelps, John McBride, 
Thomas Gordon 
Treasurer —Ray R. Allen 
Listers —-Henry Robinson, Hugh White 
A. M. Hibbard 

Auditors —George Dubuque, George Phelps, 
Ashley Ploag 

School Directors —Hugh White, James Wadsworth, 

Mrs. Mary H. Phelps 
Road Commissioner —Edward Gardner 
Library Trustees —Mrs. Mabel Adams, 

Mrs. Bertha Robinson, Mrs. Anna Wadsworth, 
Mrs. Emeroy Conro, Mrs. Lucy M. Reade 
Cemetery Commissioners —Thomas Gordon,Lucien Allen, 
Charles H. Reade, Charles Minckler, Juan Robinson 
Overseer of Poor —The Selectmen 

This is but a brief account of the beauties of nature 
and of the life and the activities of the men and women 
who make their homes permanently or temporarily on 
the Island of South Hero. Many of those people who 
spend but a portion of the summer in some camp along 
the shores, while they come face to face every day of 
their stay with the wonderful pictures which God has 
painted, yet they see but little of the life of the people 
of the island; they do not learn to know the sterling 



SOUTH HERO 


45 


qualities, the staunch friendships, the gracious natures 
of those who have made the island their permanent 
homes. They do not see the work which God has wrought 
in human life on the island. The vacationer goes back 
to his city home, having seen but part of that which 
makes the island a garden-spot. Those men who toil 
in the fields day after day, those women who make a 
Home for all that dwell within the house—(and their 
burden is not light) their acquaintance and friendship 
is as much a part of the attractiveness of the island 
as are the beauties of nature. They have manly sons 
and womanly daughters in those families. Whether 
they remain on the island or go out into the cities of 
the country, they live worthily, they win honor and 
men give them respect and prize their friendship. 


46 


SOUTH HERO 


In the beautiful valley of a lake renowned 
Are landscapes rare as can be found; 

The isles that stud this beautiful lake 
Are favored spots of God’s own make. 
Blooming fields and wood-lands fair 
With Nature’s perfumes fill the air. 

The half of one of these beautiful isles 
Where God through Mother Nature smiles 
Was honored first by a settler brave 
And thus the name—South Hero gave. 

On the near east Green Mountains rise 
Mansfield facing toward the skies; 

Westward, when no clouds or haze, 
Adirondacks rise to meet the gaze. 

This town to those who there reside. 

Is source of comfort and of pride; 

Various products of the fertile soil 
Responding quickly to the vigil toil. 

Fine grains and dairies here are raised 
And many delicious fruits, well praised. 

Though great the measure of scenic worth 
And richly blessed with things of earth 
The greatest charm to each her goals 
Is strength and honor of upright souls. 

—Elmer E. Fletcher. 


INDEX 


Area of Islands 

5 

Allen, Ethan 

8 

Allen, Ira 

8 

Allen, Ebenezer 

9 

Anson, W. M. 

30 

Bean growing 

37 

Blacksmiths 

20 

Camps and Hotels 

41, 42 

Canning factory 

23 

Champlain Valley 

5, 6 

Champlain, Lake 

7 

Champlain Canal 

7 

Corners, South Hero 

16 

Corners, Grand Isle 

26 

Congregational Church 

28, 29 

Creamery 

23 

Daughters of the 


American Revolution 

33 

Daughters of 1812 

33 

Eagle Camp 

41 

Eastern Star Order 

33 

Episcopal Church 

31 

Express service 

42 

First settlers 

9 

“Fill”, the 

22 

Ferry 

25 

Grocery stores 18, 

22, 26 

Garages 

42 

Gordon, Alexander 

9 

Grand Isle 9, 

25, 26 

Isle La Motte 

8, 27 

Inn, Sand Bar 

15 

Inn, South Hero 

16, 17 

Ice conditions 

39 

Ice fishing 

40 

Lyons, Asa 

29 


Mails 

23 

Masonic Lodge 

33 

Methodist Church 

28, 30 

Mt. Mansfield 

16, 25 

North Hero 5, 

8, 26 

Oyster suppers 

36 

Perry, Rev. G. H. 

41 

Physicians 

31, 32 

Population 

5 

Post Office 

22 

Poem by Elmer E. Fletcher 

46 

Roman Catholic Church 

24, 28 

Robinson Farm 

20 

Rutland Railroad 

21 

Sand Bar Bridge 11, 

12, 13 

Sand Bar Inn 

15 

South Hero Inn 

16, 17 

South Hero: 


Occupations 

37 

Origin of name 

8 

Roads 

16 

Area 

5, 9 

Grants 

8 

Views 

16 

South Alburg 

27 

Sunderland Hollow 

13 

Schools 

33, 34 

Social activities 

34 

Sugar suppers 

36 

Tenant houses 

38 

Threshing 

38 

Town Hall 

20 

Two Heroes 

8 

Town meeting day 

42 

Town officers 

44 

West shore 

25 

Wheeler, Rev. 0. G. 

29 

Woodmen 

33 

Whittemore Road 

13 










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